Box office report for Sept. 26, 2011: “Lion King” rules for second straight week
For the second straight week, Disney’s limited re-release of “The Lion King” ruled the box office over the weekend, hauling in $21.9 million, according to the Associated Press.
The Diamond Edition Blu-ray for “The Lion King” is set for Oct. 4 release.
It was a close competition at the box office over the weekend. The fact-based baseball drama “Moneyball,” starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill and based on Michael Lewis’ best-selling book, debuted at No. 2 with $19.5 million.
It was closely followed by the fact-based family film “Dolphin Tale,” starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman, which opened with $19.2 million.
Here are the top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, according to the AP:
1. “The Lion King,” Disney, $21,929,332, 2,330 locations, $9,412 average, $61,475,402, two weeks.
2. “Moneyball,” Sony, $19,501,302, 2,993 locations, $6,516 average, $19,501,302, one week.
3. “Dolphin Tale,” Warner Bros., $19,152,401, 3,507 locations, $5,461 average, $19,152,401, one week.
4. “Abduction,” Lionsgate, $10,925,253, 3,118 locations, $3,504 average, $10,925,253, one week.
5. “Killer Elite,” Open Road Films, $9,300,000, 2,986 locations, $3,115 average, $9,300,000, one week.
6. “Contagion,” Warner Bros., $8,451,226, 3,136 locations, $2,695 average, $57,007,898, three weeks.
7. “Drive,” Film District, $5,763,998, 2,904 locations, $1,985 average, $21,417,373, two weeks.
8. “The Help,” Disney, $4,370,051, 2,695 locations, $1,622 average, $154,414,153, seven weeks.
9. “Straw Dogs,” Sony Screen Gems, $2,051,333, 2,408 locations, $852 average, $8,835,187, two weeks.
10. “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” Weinstein Co., $2,002,040, 2,490 locations, $804 average, $7,968,465, two weeks.
-BAM
Box office report for Sept. 12, 2001: “Contagion” takes over top spot
The pandemic thriller “Contagion” – directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne and Marion Cotillard – coughed up $23.1 million in its opening weekend to take the top spot at the box office, reports the Associated Press.
The Warner Bros. film’s contagious opening marked the beginning of the fall movie season by exceeding the studio’s estimates. But it was the lowest grossing weekend of the year so far for the film industry, according to the AP. Still, that’s typical for the weekend after Labor Day, and the early campaigning for awards consideration will begin soon.
“The Help,” the acclaimed drama made by DreamWorks Pictures, distributed by Disney and adapted from Kathryn Stockett’s best-seller about black Southern maids speaking out during the civil-rights movement, slipped to No. 2 with $8.7 million after three straight weeks at the top, bringing its domestic total to $137 million.
“Warrior,” the Lionsgate mixed-martial arts drama starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, punched up a $5.6 million debut in the No. 3 position. Like “Contagion,” “Warrior” received strong reviews, so it could stay in the box-office fight for awhile.
Here are the weekend’s top 10 movies, from the AP:
1. “Contagion,” $23.1 million. ($2.1 million international.)
2. “The Help,” $8.7 million.
3. “Warrior,” $5.6 million.
4. “The Debt,” $4.9 million. ($1.5 million international.)
5. “Colombiana,” $4 million.
6. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” $3.8 million. ($12.5 million international.)
7. “Shark Night 3D,” $3.5 million. ($500,000 international.)
8. “Apollo 18,” $2.9 million. ($425,000 international.)
9. “Our Idiot Brother,” $2.7 million.
10. “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World,” $2.5 million. ($425,000 international.)
-BAM
Box office report for Sept. 6, 2011: “The Help” tops charts for third straight week over Labor Day weekend
“The Help” continues to help itself to the top spot at the box office, according to the Associated Press.
The adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel earned $19.9 million over the Labor Day weekend, coming in at No. 1 on the domestic box office charts for the third straight week.
The film, about black maids struggling through the still-segregated 1960s, has taken in a total of $124 million domestically, according to the AP.
The espionage thriller “The Debt” came in at No. 2, after taking $14.8 million since opening last Wednesday. Interestingly, both films star Jessica Chastain in two very different roles.
Here is the list of the top 10 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, from the AP:
1. “The Help,” Disney, $19,881,571, 2,843 locations, $6,993 average, $124,272,124, four weeks.
2. “The Debt,” Focus, $12,851,600, 1,826 locations, $7,038 average, $14,753,014, one week.
3. “Apollo 18,” Weinstein Co., $10,705,556, 3,328 locations, $3,217 average, $10,705,556, one week.
4. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” Fox, $10,325,485, 3,193 locations, $3,234 average, $162,550,178, five weeks.
5. “Shark Night,” Relativity Media, $10,126,458, 2,806 locations, $3,609 average, $10,126,458, one week.
6. “Colombiana,” Sony/Tristar, $9,570,213, 2,614 locations, $3,661 average, $24,132,335, two weeks.
7. “Our Idiot Brother,” Weinstein Co., $7,038,249, 2,555 locations, $2,755 average, $17,273,593, two weeks.
8. “Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World,” Weinstein Co., $6,801,885, 3,007 locations, $2,262 average, $31,201,190, three weeks.
9. “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark,” Film District, $6,382,227, 2,780 locations, $2,296 average, $17,882,416, two weeks.
10. “The Smurfs,” Sony Animation/Columbia, $5,724,093, 2,706 locations, $2,115 average, $133,676,705, six weeks.
-BAM
Box office report for Aug. 29, 2011: “The Help” stays afloat in top spot as Hurricane Irene blows through
“The Help” swept to the top of the box-office charts for the second weekend in a row, even as many remaining East Coast theaters closed as Hurricane Irene blew through, reports the Associated Press. The movie adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel needed just $14.5 million to retain the top spot, even with the opening of three new movies – the Sony actioner “Columbiana,” FilmDistrict’s horror remake “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark” and the Weinstein Co. comedy “Our Idiot Brother.”
Business was strong Friday night for “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” in the New York City area, but as the storm crept closer Saturday, theaters either closed or became ghost towns, Bob Berney, FilmDistrict’s Oklahoma City-born head of distribution, told the AP.
Berney said he stopped by a theater complex in suburban Westchester County Saturday night and only about 25 people had turned out for 7:30 p.m. shows.
“It was just dead,” Berney said. “They were open but no one was there, whereas in Manhattan, I think all the theaters were closed.”
Here are the top 10 movies over the weekend, from the AP:
1. “The Help,” Disney, $14,536,118, 2,778 locations, $5,233 average, $96,833,423, three weeks.
2. “Colombiana,” Sony, $10,408,176, 2,614 locations, $3,982 average, $10,408,176, one week.
3. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” Fox, $8,867,741, 3,346 locations, $2,650 average, $148,674,018, four weeks.
4. “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark,” FilmDistrict, $8,525,728, 2,760 locations, $3,089 average, $8,525,728, one week.
5. “Our Idiot Brother,” Weinstein Co., $7,011,631, 2,555 locations, $2,744 average, $7,011,631, one week.
6. “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World,” Weinstein Co., $6,007,180, 3,305 locations, $1,818 average, $21,990,229, two weeks.
7. “The Smurfs,” Sony, $4,754,766, 2,861 locations, $1,662 average, $125,948,234, five weeks.
8. “Conan the Barbarian,” Lionsgate, $3,185,094, 3,015 locations, $1,056 average, $16,660,669, two weeks.
9. “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” Warner Bros., $3,108,178, 1,577 locations, $1,971 average, $69,732,502, five weeks.
10. “Fright Night,” Disney, $3,103,227, 3,114 locations, $997 average, $14,281,778, two weeks.
-BAM
Box office report for Aug. 22, 2011: “The Help” moves up into No. 1 spot
“The Help” cleaned up at the domestic box office over the weekend, moving into the top spot with $20.5 million in its second weekend.
The DreamWorks Pictures film stars Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer in an adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-seller about Southern black maids in the 1960s. According to the Associated Press, the drama debuted in second place after the prequel “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” the previous weekend.
“The Help” raised its domestic total to $71.8 million and bumped 20th Century Fox’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” which slipped to No. 2 with $16.3 million after two weekends at the top, according to the AP.
The success of the movie “The Help” mirrors the success of its source material: Stockett’s novel became a best-seller through word-of-mouth, and the film is staying strong as audiences encourage friends to go see it, Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney, which releases DreamWorks films, told the AP.
While revenues often drop 50 percent or more in the second weekend for big studio films, receipts for “The Help” were down only 21 percent from opening weekend, according to the AP.
“It is a rare feat to see a film not open at No. 1 and then become No. 1,” Hollis told the AP. “To me, it’s a testament of it being a great film, as well as the viral nature of the word of mouth about it.”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” fell to No. 2 with $16.3 million in its third week. But it still constitutes a solid and somewhat surprising summer hit, boosting its domestic total to $133.8 million, the AP reports.
As expected, a rush of new movies debuted over the weekend without much box-office success: the Weinstein Co. family sequel “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World” opened at No. 3 with $12 million; Lionsgate’s action remake “Conan the Barbarian” at No. 4 with $10 million; the DreamWorks-Disney horror-comedy remake “Fright Night” at No. 5 with $8.3 million; and Focus Features’ adaptation of David Nicholls’ best-seller “One Day” at No. 9 with $5.1 million. Other than “Fright Night,” the new movies were all panned by critics.
With solid reviews, Disney executives thought “Fright Night” would offer a good mix of scares and laughs for fans in their late teens and early 20s. But distribution boss Hollis told the AP “Fright Night” fell victim to an issue that has troubled studios all summer: How do you bring out younger crowds when they have so many personal entertainment options, from video games to downloading movies?
“What happened here has been a problem for the industry for a long time, and that’s just how do you crack the nut with young adults?” Hollis told the AP. “They’ve been increasingly finicky.”
Overall domestic revenues dipped for the first time in five weekends, reports the AP. Receipts totaled $124 million, down 3 percent from the same weekend last year, when “The Expendables” led with $17 million.
Here are the top 10 movies over the weekend, from the AP:
1. “The Help,” $20.5 million.
2. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” $16.3 million.
3. “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World,” $12 million.
4. “Conan the Barbarian,” $10 million.
5. “Fright Night,” $8.3 million.
6. “The Smurfs,” $8 million ($35.3 million international).
7. “Final Destination 5,” $7.7 million.
8. “30 Minutes or Less,” $6.3 million.
9. “One Day,” $5.1 million.
10. “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” $5 million.
-BAM
Box office report for Aug. 15, 2011: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” stays on top
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” maintained its No. 1 spot on the domestic box-office chart for the second straight week, according to the Associated Press.
The 20th Century Fox action thriller took in an addition $27.5 million, boosting its 10-day domestic total to $104.9 million.
The “Planet of the Apes” prequel came in just ahead of “The Help,” a drama about black Mississippi maids helping a young white writer with a tell-all during the civil rights movement, which debuted at No. 2 with $25.5 million. “The Help,” a DreamWorks release distributed by Disney, has taken in $35.4 million domestically since opening Wednesday. To read my movie review of “The Help,” click here.
The Warner Bros. horror sequel “Final Destination 5,” the latest in the franchise where death stalks victims who had been fated to die earlier, opened at No. 3 with $18.4 million.
Sony’s action comedy “30 Minutes or Less,” starring “The Social Network’s” Jesse Eisenberg as a pizza deliveryman forced to help rob a bank, opened at No. 5 with $13 million, behind Sony’s animated hit “The Smurfs,” which slipped to fourth-place with $13.5 million and lifted its three-week total to $101.5 million.
The singers from TV’s “Glee” failed to find a big-screen audience as 20th Century Fox’s “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie” opened outside the top 10, finishing at No. 11 with just $5.7 million. The concert film was shot during the cast’s recent North American tour.
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and “The Help” have exceeded their studios’ early box-office expectations, reports the AP. Both received strong reviews, “Apes” for surprising drama amid dazzling visual effects to create the rebellious simians, and “The Help” for great performances from Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer and their co-stars in the adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-seller about black maids who go public with stories about working for often racist white employers.
The “Apes” prequel added $40.5 million overseas, raising its international total to $75 million and worldwide haul to nearly $180 million.
Female crowds made up 74 percent of the audience for “The Help,” and 60 percent of viewers were older than 35. That’s a sign “The Help” could have a long shelf life at theaters, reports the AP, since women and older audiences tend to get drawn to films through word-of-mouth rather than rushing out over opening weekend the way young crowds do.
“The Help” already has far outpaced the $20 million Disney executives hoped for over the first five days, and the film is playing strongly in both urban and middle America markets, Dave Hollis, the studio’s head of distribution, told the AP.
“The book and the way it kind of rose to the best-seller list was very much this word-of-mouth, viral thing where people say, ‘you’ve got to read this thing I just read,’ and we’re hoping the movie can do the same kind of thing,” Hollis told the AP.
The live action/animation mash-up “The Smurfs” also has outstripped expectations. The family hit, based on the comic critters by Belgian artist Peyo and the ’80s Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon, added $60 million overseas to raise its worldwide total to $242 million, and Sony announced a sequel over the past week. To read my “The Smurfs” review, click here.
“We were ready to make the second one before we even released the first,” Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony, told the AP. “We felt confident it was going to work, but I don’t think anybody had any idea it was going to work to this level.”
Overall domestic business increased for the fifth-straight weekend. Revenues totaled $152 million, up 6 percent from the same weekend last year, when “The Expendables” led with $34.8 million, according to the AP.
“We’re ending the summer on a high note,” Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian told the AP. “The usually unsung month of August can be the time when a lot of unexpected things happen that benefit the box office.”
Here are the weekend’s top 10 movies, from the AP:
1. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” $27.5 million ($40.5 million international).
2. “The Help,” $25.5 million.
3. “Final Destination 5,” $18.4 million.
4. “The Smurfs,” $13.5 million ($60 million international).
5. “30 Minutes or Less,” $13 million.
6. “Cowboys & Aliens,” $7.6 million ($7 million international).
7. “Captain America: The First Avenger,” $7.1 million ($12.2 million international).
8. “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” $6.93 million.
9. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” $6.9 million ($30 million international).
10. “The Change-Up,” $6.2 million.
-BAM
Box office report for Aug. 8, 2011: “Planet of the Apes” prequel rises to No. 1
The well-reviewed prequel “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” rose to the top of the box office over the weekend.
The 20th Century Fox action thriller took in $54 million to open as the No. 1 movie, according to the Associated Press.
The haul was about $15 million to $20 million more than analysts expected for the “Apes” prequel, but well below the $68.5 million opening of Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” remake 10 years ago.
But the prequel, starring James Franco, Freida Pinto and Andy Serkis, proved much stronger among critics, garnering 81 percent positive reviews at RottenTomatoes.com, compared to just 45 percent for Burton’s 2001 remake.
Sony’s cartoon-based live-action/animated mash-up “The Smurfs” remained at No. 2 for the second straight weekend with $21 million, lifting its domestic total to $76.2 million.
Universal’s sci-fi Western “Cowboys & Aliens,” which narrowly outran “The Smurfs” to a No. 1 opening the previous week, fell to third with $15.8 million, raising its total to $67.4 million.
Audiences showed little interest in watching another take on the old magical body-switching trope this weekend: Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman’s comedy “The Change-Up,” also from Universal, opened at No. 4 with a measly $13.5 million.
With $12.2 million domestically and $61.8 million overseas, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ finished in sixth place over the weekend. More importantly, the eighth and final film based on J.K. Rowling’s beloved book series raised its worldwide total to $1.13 billion. In the past week, it became this year’s top-grossing global release, passing the $1.04 billion haul of “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”
Here are the top 10 movies over the weekend, from the AP:
1. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” $54 million ($23.4 million international).
2. “The Smurfs,” $21 million ($45.2 million international).
3. “Cowboys & Aliens,” $15.8 million.
4. “The Change-Up,” $13.5 million.
5. “Captain America: The First Avenger,” $13 million ($27.5 million international).
6. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” $12.2 million ($61.8 million international).
7. “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” $12.1 million.
8. “Friends with Benefits,” $4.7 million.
9. “Horrible Bosses,” $4.6 million ($7.7 million international).
10. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” $3 million ($17.5 million international).
-BAM
Box office report for Aug. 1, 2011: “Cowboys & Aliens” rides into No. 1 in close race with “The Smurfs”
The mash-up adventure “Cowboys & Aliens” has ridden off the victor in a close race at the box office against a new big-screen iteration of “The Smurfs.”
According to final studio counts Monday, the sci-fi Western, based on Scott Mitchell Rosenberg’s Platinum Studios comic book, took the No. 1 spot on the domestic charts with a $36.4 million debut, reports the Associated Press.
That puts Universal Pictures’ “Cowboys & Aliens” $800,000 ahead of Sony’s family adventure “The Smurfs,” which finished at No. 2 with $35.6 million over opening weekend. The live-action/animated movie “The Smurfs” is based on the comic strips by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo and the ’80s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series.
Sunday estimates had the two movies in a tie for the No. 1 spot at $36.2 million each, according to the AP.
Last week, box-office analysts had expected “Cowboys & Aliens” would be the clear winner over the weekend. But the Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford action tale opened weaker than anticipated, while “The Smurfs” had a stronger debut than forecast.
Last week’s No. 1 movie, “Captain America: The First Avenger,” dropped to third place, taking in another $25.6 million to boost its total to $117.4 million.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ was No. 4 on the domestic box office charts. The eighth and final film based on J.K. Rowling’s beloved book series crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide on Sunday, reports BoxOfficeMojo.com. “Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ hit $1 billion on its 19th day in theaters, which tied “Avatar”‘s record for fastest to reach that milestone.
From the AP, here are the top 15 movies in the U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release:
1. “Cowboys & Aliens,” Universal, $36,431,290, 3,750 locations, $9,715 average, $36,431,290, one week.
2. “The Smurfs,” Sony, $35,611,637, 3,395 locations, $10,489 average, $35,611,637, one week.
3. “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Paramount, $25,554,303, 3,715 locations, $6,879 average, $117,421,571, two weeks.
4. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” Warner Bros., $21,977,093, 4,145 locations, $5,302 average, $318,511,602, three weeks.
5. “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” Warner Bros., $19,104,303, 3,020 locations, $6,326 average, $19,104,303, one week.
6. “Friends with Benefits,” Sony Screen Gems, $9,275,692, 2,926 locations, $3,170 average, $38,175,973, two weeks.
7. “Horrible Bosses,” Warner Bros., $7,189,365, 2,510 locations, $2,864 average, $96,290,917, four weeks.
8. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” Paramount, $6,086,311, 2,604 locations, $2,337 average, $338,007,725, five weeks.
9. “Zookeeper,” Sony, $4,301,893, 2,418 locations, $1,779 average, $68,832,733, four weeks.
10. “Cars 2,” Disney, $2,349,142, 1,763 locations, $1,332 average, $182,118,690, six weeks.
11. “Winnie the Pooh,” Disney, $1,777,625, 1,632 locations, $1,089 average, $22,435,490, three weeks.
12. “Midnight in Paris,” Sony Pictures Classics, $1,156,947, 471 locations, $2,456 average, $46,851,966, 11 weeks.
13. “Bridesmaids,” Universal, $859,095, 484 locations, $1,775 average, $165,457,080, 12 weeks.
14. “Bad Teacher,” Sony, $842,740, 765 locations, $1,102 average, $96,718,147, six weeks.
15. “Kung Fu Panda 2,” Paramount, $662,153, 319 locations, $2,076 average, $161,681,667, 10 weeks.
-BAM
Box office report for July 25, 2011: “Captain America” charges to No. 1
A patriotic superhero was able to overcome the Boy Who Lived at the box office over the weekend.
Paramount Pictures’ “Captain America: The First Avenger” opened at No. 1 with $65.8 million, according to the Associated Press. The Marvel Comics superhero adventure sets up next summer’s all-star Marvel blockbuster “The Avengers.”
Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” the eighth and final installment in blockbuster franchise based on J.K. Rowling’s beloved books, dropped to the second spot. It made just more than $48 million in its second weekend for a magical domestic total of $274.1 million.
Don Harris, head of distribution for Paramount, told the AP that “Captain America” exceeded expectations. He figured it would do the same sort of business as “X-Men: First Class,” another Marvel Comics-based film that opened with $55.1 million in June.
“It looked to me, when I saw the marketing on the movie and then saw ‘Captain America,’ like a throwback movie. It reminded me a little bit of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ It had a little bit of a ‘Raiders’ feel to it, which is one of the best movies of all time,” Harris told the AP. “People embrace the look of the character. The character is a little bit like Iron Man — he didn’t have a lot of special weapons to himself, he just was a pretty interesting character.
“For it to be the fifth of five superhero movies for the summer, it looks like we got to save the best for last,” he said.
Internationally, “Captain America: The First Avenger” opened only in Italy with $2.8 million. It will begin playing in 23 international markets next weekend, including the United Kingdom, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Australia and Korea.
“Captain America” got generally favorable reviews, scoring 74 percent fresh on RottenTomatoes.com, another good sign for Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers,” which will launch next summer’s blockbuster season on May 4.
“Harry Potter” dropped 72 percent from its record-setting opening of $169.2 million last weekend. But the drop-off was expected, considering how anticipated the series finale was in the days leading up to its opening. The final “Potter” picture made $43 million in its first midnight showings alone.
As much as some industry watchers have knocked this year’s summer of the superhero for its less than muscular box-office results, box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com pointed out to the AP that every superhero movie that’s come out this year has opened at No. 1. Yes, even the beleaguered “Green Lantern.”
The week’s other big release, “Friends With Benefits” from Sony Screen Gems, opened at No. 3 with $18.5 million. The romantic comedy stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis as friends who try to maintain a strictly physical relationship. Despite favorable reviews (71 percent fresh on RottenTomatoes.com), “Friends With Benefits” probably suffered from following up on the similarly themed “No Strings Attached,” starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, which debuted in January with $19.7 million.
Although the summer is waning fast, Universal Pictures is hoping that there’s room for one more comic book-based blockbuster, with “Cowboys & Aliens,” starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, opening Friday.
Here are the top 10 movies from the weekend, according to the AP:
1. “Captain America: The First Avenger,” $65.8 million ($2.8 million international).
2. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” $48 million ($121.3 million international).
3. “Friends With Benefits,” $18.5 million.
4. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” $12 million ($62 million international).
5. “Horrible Bosses,” $11.7 million.
6. “Zookeeper,” $8.7 million.
7. “Cars 2,” $5.7 million ($17.7 million international).
8. “Winnie the Pooh,” $5.1 million.
9. “Bad Teacher,” $2.6 million.
10. “Midnight in Paris,” $1.9 million.
-BAM
Box office report for July 18, 2011: Harry Potter breaks the Dark Knight’s record
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” the eighth and final film based on J.K. Rowling’s beloved book series, took in $168.6 million domestically from Friday to Sunday. That beats the previous best opening weekend of $158.4 million, also held by Warner Bros. for 2008′s Batman blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” according to the Associated Press.
Overseas, the Harry Potter finale added $307 million in 59 countries since it began rolling out Wednesday, topping the previous best international debut of $260.4 million set in May by Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”
Worldwide, “Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ topped $475 million in a matter of days, putting it on course to become the franchise’s first billion-dollar worldwide hit, according to the AP.
As anticipated, the last adventure for The Boy Who Lived is shaping up to become the biggest at the box office. The current franchise high is $974.8 million worldwide for the first film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” 10 years ago, reports the AP.
The “Harry Potter” finale also set a record for best opening day domestically Friday with $92.1 million, nearly $20 million ahead of the previous high for “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” two years ago.
Other records “Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ has broken: best domestic gross for debut midnight shows at $43.5 million, topping the $30 million for last year’s “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”; best domestic opening in huge-screen IMAX theaters with $15.5 million, surpassing the $12.2 million for last year’s “Alice in Wonderland”; and best worldwide IMAX debut with $23.5 million, beating the $20.4 million for “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” two weeks ago.
“Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ also helped Hollywood conjure up a new best: Overall domestic revenue for the weekend totaled $263 million, a record for a non-holiday weekend, according to the AP.
Unfortunately, Harry Potter’s magic sucked the life out of an excellent new outing into the Hundred Acre Wood. The weekend’s other new wide release, Disney’s animated family flick “Winnie the Pooh,” got swamped by Harry Potter mania, which just proves what a wrongheaded decision it was for the Mouse House to send a bear of very little brain, no matter how beloved, up against an adored wizard in his final battle.
A return to the hand-drawn animation style of earlier adaptations of A.A. Milne’s beloved storybook characters, “Winnie the Pooh” pulled in just $8 million domestically, finishing at No. 6.
Here is the list of the weekend’s top 10 films, from the AP:
1. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” $168.6 million ($307 million international).
2. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” $21.3 million ($39 million international).
3. “Horrible Bosses,” $17.6 million.
4. “Zookeeper,” $12.3 million.
5. “Cars 2,” $8.3 million ($12.4 million international).
6. “Winnie the Pooh,” $8 million.
7. “Bad Teacher,” $5.2 million.
8. “Larry Crowne,” $2.6 million.
9. “Super 8,” $1.92 million.
10. “Midnight in Paris,” $1.9 million.
-BAM
